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#5 Ultimate Warrior
James Brian Hellwig, affectionately known as the Ultimate Warrior, burst onto the wrestling scene in 1985 as a part of Powerteam USA, a faction which also included Sting. From there the two formed a tag team known as the Blade Runners.
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The duo were a deliberate homage/rip off of Hawk and Animal, the Road Warriors. When the team split up, Hellwig became the Dingo Warrior, with a look which greatly resembled his future as Ultimate Warrior.
Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE
Once he made his WWE debut, Warrior turned heads for his high energy antics and racing to the ring. His ring rope shake proved to be so popular that WWE even trademarked it, allowing its use for wrestlers such as Dave Batista.
Ultimate Warrior went on to end Honky Tonk Man's record Intercontinental Championship reign, squashing him in less than a minute at Summerslam 1988.
From there, it was only a matter of time until he won the 'big belt.' At Wrestlemania VI, it was Champion vs. Champion as Warrior took on Hogan. In what was clearly a passing of the torch, Hogan would lose cleanly to Warrior after a body splash.
Warrior left the WWE in the early 90s, eventually ending up on Ted Turner's WCW Monday Nitro. After a brief, losing fuel to Hogan, he again dropped off the wrestling scene.
During the Monday Night Wars, Vince became bitter toward any former employee who worked for Ted Turner. He produced a vile, mean-spirited 'video special' about Hellwig entitled The Self Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. The 'documentary' so upset Hellwig that he refused to have anything to do with Vince or the WWE for many years.
Unexpectedly, Warrior and WWE buried the hatchet in 2013, when he agreed to appear in 2K's popular WWE video game franchise. From there it was a short step to the WWE Hall of Fame.
Legacy
There's no denying that Warrior will never be remembered as the greatest technical wrestler, capable of putting on sixty-minute suplex clinics. However, in terms of playing a character which resonated with legions of fans the world over, James Brian Hellwig is an indisputable success.
The Ultimate Warrior finally got his due, being inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, a few days later he passed on due to heart failure. Below, you can watch his last on-screen appearance, a speech which alternately gives one chills and a wellspring of tears.
